I'll Always Protect You
by Scooter12345
Summary: Grantaire takes it upon himself to protect Gavroche in battle. All the while he recalls fond memories not so fond memories and some that are somewhere in between. This may be an AU later on I'm not sure. On hiatus for now. I might take it down to rework it.
1. Chapter 1

**I'll Always Protect You**

**Erika R. Baker **

_Musain 1828_

Grantaire first met Gavroche when he was ushered into the Musain by Feuilly. His eyes lit up for the first time in a long while when he saw the child's enthusiasm. It was one of those rare times he wasn't drinking. His funds had run out and he still wanted to eat; he wasn't as stupid as Enjolras seemed to think.

Gavroche had never had an older brother, a mother, or a father to look up to. Eponine was tough but she wasn't exactly parent material. He needed someone and Feuilly, being the observer he was, thought Gavroche might be a nice addition to the little group of revolutionaries. If only to keep them positive and remind them of their goals.

Gavroche was introduced to Enjolras. Enjolras smiled fondly but went back to his work soon after. It was then that Feuilly introduced Gavroche to Grantaire.

The look that they shared made Feuilly smile. Gavroche strode over to Grantaire in a more innocent way than he had ever before. He was very young at this time. He was only about four. His eyes shone brightly up at Grantaire.

It was the first time, or the first time Grantaire remembered actually feeling responsible for something. He'd never actually had anything to care for but Feuilly smiled at him.

"I trust I can put him in your care for now and he's not going to end up intoxicated with in a few seconds."

Grantaire simply nodded and let Gavroche sit on his lap. It was then that Gavroche became well acquainted with what smells he should fear. Grantaire often smelled like sweet red wine with a hint of cheep booze. When his father was drunk he smelled cheep brandies and other cheep liqueurs.

He also knew, after a few months, a drunk Grantaire was a very silly companion whom he had wrapped around his pinky finger, and a sober Grantaire was the most insightful and loving older brother and father that Gavroche could have ever wanted.

Gavroche looked up to Enjolras but Enjolras never had time for him. Grantaire put down whatever he was doing with out even a heartbeat passing to help him with whatever he needed.

. . .

_Musain 1832_

Gavroche wiped the tears from his eyes. Lamarque was dead. He had to tell Enjolras but he was so upset he barely saw the door.

"Listen!" He shouted through his tears. "Listen everybody!" He shouted. "General Lamarque is dead." The cafe was very silent. Enjolras lifted him off the table he'd just climbed on and patted his shoulder. He'd learned not to expect comfort from Enjolras. So, when Enjolras began to talk about how they would start their revolution he ran. He ran quickly right into Grantaire's awaiting arms.

Grantaire sometimes despised the way Enjolras showed no feeling. He worshiped him but there was that small part of him that he was very glad was his own. When Enjolras began to speak Gavroche's small arm went up in the air just as the other men's arms did. Grantaire didn't want Gavroche to do this. To become part of this revolution that had only begun being planned four years earlier was suicidal and he knew it. He wasn't about to let Gavroche suffer for other people's stupidity. He would let himself but that was only because of the glimmer of hope he saw in Gavroche's future.

He may have been a cynic, partiality, he liked more to think of himself as sarcastic and witty. Sure, he could say some pretty cynical things when he was intoxicated but with Gavroche around him that was less and less often. He also began to observe what some people called cynicism and pessimism he and many others called realism. His feet were tied firmly to the ground and he wished others could see it too.

He then let his mind wander to the poet Jehan. He even looked doubtful and yet all the same excited for this blood bath. They all were. It was in his own private corner, with his own private lamp light on him that Grantaire stood with his arms around Gavroche's shoulders trying to shield him from the imaginary bullets that were whizzing all around them in Grantaire's mind. He looked up to see Enjolras as angelic as ever staring into the light coming from an open window.

Gavroche looked to Grantaire he didn't sing like all the other men did. He looked frightened. Gavroche wrapped his arms around Grantaire's legs, for it was all the gamin could reach, and hugged him tightly. Grantaire was only slightly reassured by the gesture and rubbed Gavroche's back gently.

"In the battle to come," he whispered, "Stick close to me, I'll always protect you."

"Oi will, Oi promise 'Taire."

"Good."

**So you know me when I see Les Mis I ALWAYS see something I like. I really enjoyed in this version the way they portrayed Grantaire's protectiveness over Gavroche so this is my VERY FIRST multi-chapter Les Mis fic. **


	2. Chapter 2

_1832_

Grantaire walked Gavroche home. The child was silent. "Are yeh scared?" Gavroche asked him. "A-about tomorrow?"

"Yes." Grantaire stated plainly. "Yes, I'm afraid. Why do you think I was drinking as heavily as I was today?"

"I thought 't was so yeh could lighten teh mood." Gavroche said.

"No." He laughed, "Although I'm sure all the others other than Enjolras were grateful for that, non?"

"Yeah, 'm sore it did. Did fer me." Gavroche said.

"Well I'm glad theory proved true for one person," he smiled. Gavroche grabbed his hand tighter as they neared the place where he normally rested. "What is it kiddo?"

"Thenardier's angry can't yeh 'ear the screams upstairs?" He said. Grantaire listened hard. Then he heard it vicious blows were being dealt out above them and a young woman's screams could be heard.

"Them's 'Ponine's screams," Gavroche shuddered. Grantaire raised an eyebrow.

"Why not stay with me tonight? Hmm? Might do you some good to get out of this place." He said lifting the child with ease onto his broad shoulders.

"Would you let me?" He asked.

"Of course I will," Grantaire grinned holding onto the child's claves to keep him from slipping off his shoulders. Gavroche laughed and held onto Grantaire's head. There was a light in Grantaire's deep green eyes that night. He was happy that Gavroche was happy.

Thenardier heard the childish laugh and ran down the stairs to see who would be stupid enough to laugh around here. He scowled deeply as he saw Grantaire lift Gavroche onto his shoulders.

"Yeh give me the brat 'ere." Thenardier said to Grantaire viciously.

Grantaire knew better than to stick around and wait for an angry Thenardier to dish out a beating. So he took Gavroche in his arms and ran to his own flat a few blocks down.

"If you see old Thenardier and he asks for this child," he told his landlady who was quite fond of him, "Throw him out."

"With pleasure dearie," She smiled. "Is 'e your kid?"

"Oh," he blushed deeply, "No, just a child I'm friends with who didn't want to go home."

"Oh, Oi see. 'e looks so sweet curled up in your arms loike that."

"Oi ain't sweet," Gavroche pouted silently. To which Grantaire laughed and gave his landlady an extra franc for her help.

"Thank yeh so much luv," she said touched by the gesture.

"You have children to feed, I can go without the Green Fairy for a night, I have enough to be distracted with." She kissed his cheek just before he turned to leave.

"Wait," she said. "The revolution, 's it tomorrow?"

"Yes," he said softly.

"Oi'll be there ta 'elp with the bandages." She said. "Though Oi most certainly hope you, nor your friend 'ere are one of the ones in 'em."

"Thank you," he smiled, "Enjolras will be pleased." He said with a smile. "It'll be nice to see a familiar face."

"Yes," she smiled. "I do think it will. Goodnight dearie, Oi'll see you tomorrow then." She said.

As Grantaire ascended the stairs Gavroche insisted on walking. So Grantaire set him down.

"Who is the lady?" He asked. "She's really pretty? You loike her?"

"Yes, but NOT like that." He quickly covered.

She was a blond. It was dirty most of the time but when it was washed and braided really nice you could see that it was gold if you really looked. Her eyes like his were a deep green. Though hers more emerald and his were a sea green. She was one of the sweetest people he knew. She was the reason he fought on those barricades, her, and her children.

She was only twenty one. He was four years her senior. Her husband had left her for no reason at all when they were newlyweds. It was two nights after their wedding night. She had had a child with him, a boy. She was eighteen at the time. She remarried and that husband spent a year with her. She was nineteen then. Once she had a girl with him he was not pleased so he too left her. Now she had a three year old son and a two year old daughter to care for.

Yet, she was never bitter about her situation or her status in life. She embraced it with a smile and never, ever sold herself. He was so proud of her for that. He told her so in the small things he did.

Sometimes he slipped her an extra franc in the rent money or he would tip her for the kind things she did for him. He knew she appreciated it.

He heard her voice down stairs.

"Get out!" She hollered.

"Not 'till Oi get the kid." Thenardier's voice echoed.

"Yeh'll get our or Oi'll call the cops on yeh!" she yelled. He sulked off.

Grantaire ran down the stairs. "You're alright right?"

"Oi'm fine luv." She smiled it reached her eyes. "Oi 'ate 'im."

"So do most people," they laughed.

Grantaire could still recall the first time he'd met, well heard and seen the effects of Thenardier.

. . .

_1828_

Gavroche came into the Musian crying fairly heavily. He seemed okay at first glance but at a second one you could see deep welts and bruises along the child's arms. Grantaire was the only one in the café. The child was fine the day before what could be bothering him?

"'Vroche?" He asked. "What's wrong? 's nearly one in the morning."

"Oi didn't know where else ta go to." The child slurred.

"How about home? That's where I was just headed, if I wasn't on 'help the manager clean up because you drank too much' night." He said. This didn't earn him the usual giggle or smile that he would normally get from the child.

"I don' wanna go home, don't make me go home," he latched himself onto Grantaire's leg and refused to let go.

This shocked the drunken man a little but after he got the child off. He knelt down and looked at him with his slightly unfocused eyes. "What is it? What's wrong kiddo?" He asked affectionately.

"Oi promised 'im Oi wouldn't tell." The child sobbed throwing his arms around Grantaire's neck and hugging him tightly.

"You should tell, just tell me what happened, no one's going to find out." He said his eyes beginning to refocus. He didn't even know that the onslaught of a hangover was about to begin. He didn't really even care. He was more than a little frightened that Gavroche wouldn't talk to him and that his sobs heightened.

"Oi promised Oi wouldn't tell, Oi can't tell." Gavroche sobbed harshly.

Grantaire just hushed him quietly. He picked him up and took the child to someone he knew he could trust. He didn't know how badly Gavroche was hurt so he took him to Combeferre. The young medical student would know what to do with the child. He was certain.

**This is with love to my first reviewer Kay-Dee-101 I hope you enjoied.**


	3. Chapter 3

_1828_

Combeferre was startled to hear someone knocking on his door at one thirty. He quickly looked to see who on God's green earth was knocking. When he saw a soaked Grantaire with a crying Gavroche outside his door he was shocked.

"He came into the Musain crying. I didn't know where else to go and God is it freezing out there. It just started pouring about twenty minutes before I got here."

"Go sit inside then," Combeferre said looking out the door as if he were expecting someone to be following them.

Grantaire pressed Gavroche to his chest and cradled him gently. He shivered but he hopped Gavroche wasn't noticing. He'd wrapped the boy in his jacket just as it began to rain in a torrential down pour.

"If there was one thing I never expected," Combeferre said to him as he threw Grantaire a towel, "It was this. I honestly don't know what's gotten into you, but I'm glad for it."

Gavroche stopped crying long enough to hear Combeferre's comment. He still had his head on Grantaire's soaked chest. He let Combeferre look at him.

"The wounds aren't infected which is a good sign, but it's a good thing that he was brought here so I could bandage them up so they don't." Combeferre smiled and ruffled Gavroche's hair. "So how did these happen?"

"I'm not 'posta tell," he said softly.

"Come on now, surely you can let someone know. I won't be angry if you got in a fight or something."

"No, it wasn't nothing like that." He said quietly.

"Oh?" Combeferre asked.

"No." Gavroche's eyes welled up with tears.

"Try and tell us," Grantaire prompted shivering again. Combeferre looked at Grantaire sympathetically.

"'s jus' that Oi, well, Oi dunno if yeh 'ave 'eard of 'im but 'is name is Thenardier," he tactfully left out that his was his father, "'e's not a noice guy but Oi 'appen to 'ole up in 'is house sometoimes and . . . well Oi got 'im angry. 'e's not a person ya want ta make angry." He sobbed, "'e made me promise Oi wouldn't tell."

"Shhh . . ." Combeferre hushed him and dried off the child's hair. "There we go, well you're safe now and we can keep you out of there for awhile. You can stay with us. Most of the Amis have spare rooms in their flats you can stay in." He suggested.

"Ya would let me stay wif ya?" he asked.

"Of course," Combeferre smiled and took the child into a spare room.

Grantaire was tired he fell asleep on the sofa drenched, but glad Gavroche was in good hands. Combeferre went out to bring Grantaire clothes, a towel and a blanket. He saw the man asleep and towel dried him as best he could without waking him and wrapping the blanket around the man's shoulders.

It was only minutes later when Combeferre had been awakened by the sound of someone coughing. He was aware that it was most likely Grantaire so he went to check and sure enough the drunk was more flushed than he was after a bottle of wine.

. . .

_1832_

Grantaire tucked Gavroche in. The room that Gavroche was using had been the child's room often when he didn't want to sleep on the street or go 'home'. In other words this was his winter room.

Grantaire would not let the child remain on the street in winter. So, the child often spent winters in this flat. Grantaire smiled fondly at the memories the two of them had had during those winters together.

There had been many they had met in spring when Gavroche turned four, just an early four. Considering his March birthday, March 24, he was just four years old, barely. They'd met two days after his fourth birthday. So he counted it would have been three winters, three falls, four springs and this would be their fourth summer of being acquainted.

"Fourth Summer," he smiled as he brushed some hair from Gavroche's face. "I can't believe your eight. God. It makes me feel old to say I'm twenty-five." He shook that thought from his mind and blew out the candle in the child's room before retiring to his own.

"If I survive this blood bath, nothing will stop me from keeping it," he smiled to himself, "Just like this."


	4. Chapter 4

_1828_

Grantaire woke up with someone's hand pressed to his forehead. "So you've come around hm . . ." the voice asked and rang loudly in his ears.

"Don' talk so loud," Grantaire slurred.

"I know I'm sorry," the voice came to a tolerable volume. "You're quite warm," the voice said. "I knew this would happen I feel bad for not waking you. 'Vroche sit with him for a moment and tell me if the coughing gets worse." Combeferre grinned Grantaire should have been praising the lord that Joly wasn't the one caring for him.

"'s gonna be alright," Gavroche said optimistically but in a whisper, "Combeferre's gonna take good care of us."

Grantaire smiled as he felt the soft fingers going through his damp hair. He would do anything for this child. It appeared that the boy loved him nearly as much. It seemed to him that despite only having met each other a few days prior they were already very close. It was like they had things in common they didn't even know.

For instance, neither of them liked to be alone. It was only Grantaire's rough around the edges exterior that suggested it; in reality he hated being by himself. Gavroche was very similar his exterior showed his want to be by himself but his interior personality begged for affection and company.

Grantaire felt another sudden bout of coughs bubbling from his throat and ripping it ragged. Gavroche took his hand. "Combeferre. . ." he called.

The medical student sat next to the child. "Take deep breaths, it's going to make you cough more but it will help." He said as he gently brushed away some hair from Grantaire's face. The fit passed and the drunk settled.

They were there for a few days, mainly the weekend. Grantaire went home to his flat to bear out the remainder of his illness though it didn't last much longer.

. . .

Grantaire could hear someone crying in the other room. He ran to see Gavroche tossing and turning.

"'T-Taire!" He shouted.

"Shh . . . shh. . . I'm here, it's alright." He whispered quietly.

"Taire! Taire wake up!" He shouted through tears.

"I'm here kiddo. Wake up, it's just a nightmare." He said shaking the child awake. Gavroche latched onto him tightly upon waking.

"Nighmare kiddo?" He asked as the panic died down.

"Yeah," Vroche whispered.

"What about?" 'Taire asked.

"You, you got shot ta'morrow."

"Ah," Grantaire said in recognition, "Well, 'Vroche," he pulled the child into his lap, "We all have things happen to us. Sometimes good, sometimes not so good, but they always happen for a reason. I may be cynical but I do believe we meet," he smiled, "We do, and we have things happen to us for a reason. If I were shot tomorrow, I'd want it to be in protection, protection of you, of Enjolras, of anyone. I'm the oldest 's my job."

Gavroche's eyes filled with tears as hugged the older boy. "I love you."

"I love you too," He smiled, "And I always will, in that love that goes beyond death I will."

**Okay, huge apology in order. I was in the play as I mentioned to some of you and then I had this HUGE math project thing thrown at me as well as like a bazillion other projects and a Speech for speech class that was our final that I needed to make 10 minutes long and it was just craziness. Then I had babysitting jobs and a bunch of other garbage going around here. Expect more updates over summer but it's getting to be close to exam week. I have one full week of school left. Then exams so like two weeks of school are left and I'm crazy busy. **

**Thanks for the patience and understanding,**

**Scooter. **


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